Spring Madness
by Candlelight1994
Summary: Spring Time has come. With clear blue sky and colorful blossoms in trees, it is the most pleasant time of the year for most of the people. But for Byakura, it is just the opposite. With his unhealed wounds of the past begin to rip away in the heat of spring, bubbles of his hidden self start to emerge out of the cold surface. What truly lie under his cold mask...?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter - 1

The sounds of wind chimes from the window floated through the Kuchiki mansion, passing through neatly trimmed shrubs and tall, lean bamboo trees growing elegantly around the compound. The warm breezes of spring mixing with sharp scents of bonsai trees enveloped the entire manor in its sweet melody. Spring has come. Byakura thought as he looked out of the window in his study. The sky was so blue, clear of all the clouds and surprisingly things were really quiet and in peaceful silence considering the fact that the entire soul society was under reconstruction from the damages that Kurosaki Ichigo and his group had created in their last visit. Byakura drew his brows with annoyance at that name. It was not because he lost to him in their fight but because of that orange haired human's particular lack of manner and respect to elders. Discarding the annoying matter out of his mind, he turned his attention back to the opened book in front of him. Ukitaki senpai's novel series, Sogyo no Okonowari, "Rejection of twin fishes". Even though he didn't usually enjoy reading fiction novels, it would be rude of him to reject senpai's gift. He was about to turn the page when a knock came on his door.

"Come in," he replied looking up from his book. Rukia was at the door, sitting on her knees. "Nii sama." She said quietly, not shifting her gaze up from her hands. It had been several years since he adopted this girl into his family on behalf of Hisana's last wish. Seeing her there in front of him reminded him so much of Hisana. Even though he put his defenses high to cover up his emotions, every time he saw Rukia, all those locked emotions rose up from his chest like tides, choking him, making him breathless and pained him. "Captain Ukitaki asked me to join the team investigating the hollow activities on outskirt of Seireitei." He shifted his gaze back to the book and replied, "Good. Tell him I thank him for his gift." Rukia bowed her head and pulled the door but stopped in half way. He looked up from his book, wondering what she wanted to talk with him. "Nii sama, are…are the wounds healed? I heard from captain Unohana that they are serious." Byakura slowly shifted his bandaged hand away from the table and said, "They are healing well. Captain Unohana's treatments are really helpful."

She looked up, her face full of worry and guilt the kind of face that Hisana used to made every time he got injured in missions. Even though he didn't really concern himself with what other people think or feel about him, somehow he couldn't ignore Rukia who resembled her sister in so many ways. "Nii sama…" she said looking down at her knuckles turning white from griping too tight onto her hakana. "Don't worry about it. My wounds are not that serious and after all, it is my duty as a brother to protect you. I did what I should have done. You should just take care of yourself and stop worrying about these little things." He interrupted her and looked intently at her. Rukia's body shook a little from holding back the sobs rising out of her chest. "You should head out. It is not a good thing for a noble to be late for their duties." He said and flipped through the book, although he wasn't really paying attention to it. "Hai, Nii sama." She said and closed the door.

Byakura stared at the door, thinking maybe he had been too harsh on her. He sighed and closed the book and pushed it aside. He had never been good at soothing people or comforting them. His one big flaw that he could never seem to get a handle on it, no matter how hard he tried. How would you handle this kind of thing, Hisana if you were here? How would you deal with this? He wasn't the kind of person who got stuck up in the past and whined over the lost ones. He had a clear idea on how life is, we born, we live and when the time comes, we die. But ever year when the spring came, a part of him secretly wished that Hisana didn't have to leave so early. The wind blew into the room, filling up with the essence of spring, making him daze back into the memories that he thought he had forgotten years ago. Abruptly, he stood up, trying to knock off the tiresome feelings creeping up on him. "What a waste of time…" he muttered to himself and headed out of the room. The fresh scents of breezes rushed onto him as he walked out of the room. Everything looked so peaceful under the warm sunlight. The entire courtyard was as empty as always but he wasn't the kind of person that liked to be surrounded by others. He walked into the garden, where several bonsai trees were growing gracefully around the lake that seated in the middle.

Nothing had changed in this place, he thought as he walked over the white bridge and stopped at the half way as the reflection from the lake caught his attention. The last time he had walked over this place was also in spring but rather than alone he was together with Hisana. He fisted his hand tight, gripping on the white marble as he stared into the water. He had watched her struggling in pain, weakened more and more each day by illness but there was nothing he could do for her. There was nothing he could do to save her, nothing. He tightened his grip on the bridge as he closed his eyes tight. All these titles and all these riches could do nothing. What all of his achievements mean anything when he couldn't even save his wife, the one person who understood him more than anyone, the person who stood by him when no one else did and the only one person in this world he had ever loved. Fighting back the rampaging pain inside his chest, he stared into the clear water, rippling gently as the wind brushed pass its surface. He breathed heavily, swallowing down the pain, letting it seep into the veins and allowing all the memories rushed out of his mind. Slowly and quietly, he found himself swimming back into the past, to the time when he first met Hisana.

It was heavily raining at that night, he was sent to Rukongai to investigate the hollow attacks that had became worse during the past two months. Two shinigami from 11th division had been killed and several civilians in that area had injured and even killed. This is a serious situation, he thought as he walked pass a completely destroyed hut that was now nothing more than a pile of wood. He looked around the empty place, peering through the rain that was making him hard to see. There was no notable Reiatsu in the area, just a few very faint ones in the woods but he was certain they were not of hollows. He stood in the middle of the ruined place for a few moments longer, listening to the rhythm of the rain, watching carefully for any sign of movements or even tiny shift in the shadows but nothing happened. Thinking that he had wasted his time here, he decided to return to the base and reunited with the search party. But just when he turned his back and walked away, a deep scream came out from the wood. Byakura looked back and suddenly he detected a huge Reiatsu of a hollow rising out of the wood. How did it conceal its Reiatsu? Even if it could, he should at least detect a tiny hint or a faint of it in the air.

He shunpoed himself toward the forest, focusing directly on the faint Reiatsu that was currently being chased by a hollow. Not more than a minute, he found them. He stood on a sturdy tree branch and watched the hideous looking hollow with tentacles falling down its huge head chasing after a small girl. He took out his zanpakuto and jumped down from the tree, putting himself between the hollow and the girl. The hollow came to a stop in his appearance and he saw the girl collapsed in a corner of his eyes. "Shinigami? Ha, ha…You bugs never know when to stop, do you? You will be a treat compare to that girl." The hollow's guffy voice surrounded him, he felt a slight change in the pressure around them but that level of Reiatsu was nothing to him. He swung his sword and jumped at the hollow, ducking at the tentacles swinging toward him. With a swift swing of his zanpakuto, he slashed the mask, letting the hollow to roar out in pain. He gently landed on his feet and put his sword back into its sheath. This kind of weak hollow couldn't be the one to be causing this much death around here, he thought as he started to walk away.

But suddenly he felt the Reiatsu from the deteriorating hollow behind erupted and he only had a few seconds to defend the tentacles that were shot into his chest. One of the tentacles wrapped around his legs and he found himself dangling above the ground with his head to the ground in a blink of eye. "You little insect, you think you can defeat me that easily?" the hollow shouted as spikes appeared out of the tentacles and the beast threw him into the air. Byakura closed his eyes as he slowly fell down and released his Shi Kai. "Scatter, Sanpozakura." He watched as his sword scattered into thousands of pink flower petals and after a second, he heard the hollow's scream that shook the trees around them. With a flip, he landed gently beside the girl who was on verge of passing out. He watched as the hollow disappeared into the air for real this time and his sword reappeared in his hand. He quickly sheathed his sword and said to the girl without looking down at her, "These areas are not safe for someone like you who have spiritual power. You should stay away from this place."

He then took off, not looking back at the girl. As he walked away, he felt that his legs became heavier. He first thought it was because of tiredness of after wandering around the Rukongai for past two days but then he felt light headed and his vision became blurry. He leaned against a tree and looked down at the place where the hollow's tentacles had wrapped. His whole leg had turned purple blue. "Poison…" the words escaped as he collapsed onto the ground. How did this happen? He thought as he leaned against his sword. He didn't come into contact with those spikes. How did the poison get into him? His breathing became rough as he struggled to stable his Reiatsu that was going on a riot inside him. This poison was not ordinary, he thought as he failed to stabilize his energy. Just when he was about to collapse, he heard, "Ano...shinigami kun, are you ok?" He blinked his blurry vision and somewhat made out a distorted image of the girl before him but before he could reply anything, his consciousness left him and he collapsed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter-2

Byakura sighed and looked up the sky, that time, that day was the first time he met Hisana. He didn't remember how she carried him back to her little house but he remembered when he woke up, his leg was wrapped in bandages and the poison had been taken out. He was surprised to see Hisana standing over him with a smile. He was first doubted how could a commoner like her treat the wound, efficiently and to admit the truth, he was a bit repulsed by the condition he was in. How could he be so careless in a fight and got saved by a girl? That was unacceptable. "Thank you for treating me. But I have to go." He said as soon as he could sit up. "You can't in this state, shinigami kun. I had taken out the poison but the wounds are not healing quickly as I hoped. You have to stay off the leg for like a couple of days before you can walk around." She said sitting beside him and looking at him with a never faltering smile. He may get injured but this kind of wound was nothing compared to the ones he had in the past. He arrogantly neglected her words and swung his leg off the bed. A sharp pain shot up his leg as they touched the ground and immediately he gripped tight onto the bed to take in the pain. "I told you not to move." She said and smirk at him.

Byakura remembered how irritated he felt at her words and how ashamed he felt to get injured by a simple hollow. "This place is not much but please bear this for at least one night." She said and handed him a bowl of what seemed like some kind of soup. "I am not hungry." He replied, ignoring the fact that his stomach was growling inside. Hisana didn't say anything but placed the bowl beside him and walked over to the other side where a bench was placed against the cracked wall. His eyes fall onto her arm where a deep red bruise tinted against her pale skin. He thought about telling her but then he figured that was not his concern and should ignore it. They both sat in silence for a very long time, he couldn't remember what he was thinking or what he did after that but he still remembered thinking how peaceful that silence was and how comfortable he felt being in a rugged place with a total stranger and a commoner, at that. "Is it great to be a shinigami?" she asked not looking at him but rather at the ground. "I don't know how to answer that." He replied taken aback by her question. She turned to face him and said, "Sorry, it got out wrong. I mean being a shinigami, you can fight the hollows and you...you can protect the people you care about, right?" "Something like that." She smiled and said, "It must feel great. To be able to protect someone." "I don't think it as great. I do my job as a shinigami to fulfill my duty and to uphold my family honor." She looked at him with her big eyes and smiles, "Everybody has their own reason."

He looked at her carefully this time surprised at her answer which reminded him of his father who used to say that kind of things. This petite, small girl, there was more to her than the eyes meet. Even though she looked fragile and weak, there was strength inside her that somewhat made him impressed. You were always stronger than me, Hisana. It was your strength that made me into who I am, that shaped me into the head of Kuchiki clan. It was all you but yet, you said you didn't deserve my love. How could you not see everything you had done for me? It is I; I am the one who don't deserve greatness like you. Byakura sighed and allowed himself dissolved into the cool breezes that were brushing against him. After a night spending in her house, his wounds healed and next morning he was as good as new. He was going to leave before she woke up but then he noticed that she was shaking in her sleep. Quickly he went over to her and saw that the wound on her arm had infected just as he figured it would be. He couldn't leave her like this; he thought as it was partly his fault for not reminding her of that. He knelt beside the bench and placed his palm over the wound. A green light glowed out of his hand and slowly, the bruise faded away. His Reiatsu could heal up the wound but the girl didn't wake up. He touched her forehead and saw that she was sick. He wasn't a medical specialist; his knowledge in medical field was just the basics and there weren't anything or anyone around here for miles.

"Shi...nigami kun…" she whispered as she woke up. Her face was now blood less and whitened but she was still smiling. "Your wound is infected. I healed it but the illness; I can do nothing about it." He said somehow he found it felt difficult to utter those words. She smiled weakly and said, "Thank you…This illness is…not from the wound." "What do you mean?" "I had had this illness since I was young. It is just…don't worry. I'll be fine…" she said and propelled herself to sit up. He stood up and didn't say anything as she hugged herself and coughed. It was no wonder she looked this weak and fragile; with a sickness inside her and living in a place like this, it was a wonder that she could survive for this long. "You seem to be in good shape, again. Shouldn't you be on your way?" she said, coughing between the words. He felt uneasy at her words, it was true that he should already have gone but he couldn't leave her behind in a state like this. "Don't worry about me. I will be fine. Shinigami kun, please go your way and thank you for saving my life the other day." She said and smiled weakly. He ignored the words filling in his mouth and said, "Ok. Take care of yourself then."

He then turned away and left the house. He still remembered the fluttering feeling inside his chest as he shunpoed away from the house. It wasn't right of him to leave an ill-stricken civilian alone but as a shinigami, his job was to take care of hollows only, the condition of civilians concerned him very little by principle. But she was defenseless and she won't be able to….His thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion that blew away several trees with such force that it almost flattened him. What was that? He thought as he jumped over the fallen trees and ran toward the place where black smokes were coming out. A hollow? He sensed a strong Reiatsu filling in the air along with several glowing Reiatsu as he got near to the exploded place. He slowed down as the smokes cleared, revealing a giant hollow which was much more bigger than the one he took care of yesterday. This one had two giant bull horns on his masked head and four pairs of arm and legs. He then realized that those tiny glowing stings on the arms were the iron chains that several shinigami were using to restrain the beast. So finally that non functioning Kido unit had arrived.

"Ukitaki senpai?" he muttered as his eyes caught the shape of a long white haired captain ordering the Kido teams. "Oh, Byakura kun. Where have you been for past three days?" he greeted as he stood beside him. "I was following a trail outskirts." He replied as he watched the Kido team successfully sealed the hollow with their binding methods. "Kuchiki Taichou is worried sick of you." Ukitaki Taichou said with his ever cheerful smile. Byakura ignored his words and focused his attention at the hollow wailing loudly and struggling against the bindings that almost ripped off the chains. "Ukitaki senpai, you should finish it quickly." Byakura reminded the way too relaxed captain. "Aw, yeah. Kido team, use the binding seal 13 and finish it." A chorus of "Hai…" echoed around the clearing and a bright light broke out from the chains. Immediately they engulfed the hollow, ripping it apart, limb from limb. An ugly scream escaped through the hollow and slowly the beast disappeared, roasted up into flames.

"Well, that went great. Kido team, take care of the things and 13th division members gather wounded. We are heading back. You too, Byakura. I had already sent back your teammates. Most of them were injured badly. They needed medical attention." Ukitaki Taichou said as he patted Byakura's shoulder. "Ukitaki Taichou…I want to ask something." He stopped and turned back. "Yes, what?" He thought about it twice before asking him but in the end, he found himself returning back to the image of that girl smiling weakly. With a sigh, he said, "There is an injured civilian near the woods. She is in need of immediate medical attention." Ukitaki Taichou looked serious for a moment with his brows drawn together into a tight knot (trust me, it is a rare sight for Jushiro) but he didn't ask anything, just turned around and shouted to the 4th division medical group who were treating the wounded shinigami, "I need a medical specialist from 4th division to come with me. We got an injured civilian in the wood." A black haired shinigami with a white sash across her back ran toward them and stopped in front of Ukitaki Taichou. "Ok, Byakura, lead us the way." Byakura figured that he shouldn't say anything about Ukitaki Taichou wanting to tag along after he accepted his request without any question, so he simply just nodded. Three of them ran into the woods, with Byakura in the lead heading toward the abandoned house on the other side of the wood.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hisana was rolled up into a tight ball when they reached to the house. Her entire body was trembling and cold like ice, as he touched her forehead. "What happened to her?" Ukitaki Taichou asked as the healer sat beside her and checked her condition. "She was wounded by a hollow yesterday but I healed the bruise. She said that the illness is from since she was young." Byakura explained it as he watched the girl coughing and shivering. She opened her eyes slightly and smiled at him, "Shiniga…mi kun?" "Shinigami kun?" Ukitaki Taichou repeated after her and turned to look at Byakura. "It wasn't necessary for me to introduce myself." "Aww…" Ukitaki said and nodded although he didn't understand what is there to wonder about and he went over to the girl. "Is she ok?" he asked as the healer wiped away the sweat from her own face. "Her sickness is deep, Taichou. I can't do anything here. We don't have necessary medicine or anything." She said wiping the specks of blood off the girl's mouth.

"We can't just take her to Seireitei." Ukitaki Taichou said looking worried as the girl continued to cough. Byakura remembered him arguing with himself whether or not he should take the girl. It wouldn't be a problem for him to take a commoner into the Seireitei if he took her in as a guest of the noble family. But why would he do that? It concerned him little whether or not this commoner withered. Why would he do something like that and angered his grandfather or worse tinted his family's title? But he couldn't leave her to die. Couldn't leave her to die? Are you out of your mind, Byakura? His reasoning mind shouted at him inside his mind. "What should we do, Taichou?" the healer asked as Ukitaki Taichou stood stunned behind her. "I…" the girl said softly, her face was so whitened and so pale that he was starting to wonder if it really was her normal complexion. "Please don't speak; your illness has penetrated the lungs. The more you speak or move, the longer it will take to control it." the healer warned her and wiped the tiny droplets off the corner of her lips.

He couldn't leave her, definitely not here, Byakura thought as he watched the girl continue to cough. "I will take her to my house." He finally said struggling the words to spill out of his mouth. Both Ukitaki and the healer looked at him with wide eyes. He ignored their surprise and said, "She treated my wounds yesterday. It wasn't for her, I will be in trouble." "Really? I mean, is it really ok for you to take her into your house?" Ukitaki Taichou asked staring at him with wide eyes. "I will handle it.:" he replied knowing what he was hinting and went beside her. The healer got up from her place and waited beside the Ukitaki Taichou as Byakura lifted up the girl into his arms. "Shinigami…kun…what are you…" "Don't talk. Just rest, I will take care of u." he replied and steadied her within his arms. "Ok, If that is fine with you, then, let us leave." Ukitaki said and they both shunpoed ahead. Byakura followed them within a few seconds. "Thank you, shinigami kun…" she muttered as they ran through the woods. "My name is Kuchiki Byakura. You can stop calling me shinigami." He replied not taking his eyes off the road. "I...I am…Hisana…" she replied and she buried her face into his chest.

He looked up the sky, foams like clouds sailing across the crystal blue canvas, slowly and quietly unlike his mind. Digging into the past was not a good idea. He had better thing to do than wallowing about the past that won't do any good to him. He turned toward the main house hold and suddenly he thought he got a glimpse of… He shook his head slowly, reminding himself that these are all childish fantasies and spring madness. "Opening up to your own feelings are not childish. Sealing in them is what children do." Hisana's words floated into his mind. He remembered those words pretty well.

It was right on the porch the night that he got injured in a mission. He could have gone to Unohana Taichou but he preferred Hisana's bizarre herbs treatments. She had wrapped his body with strange smelling herbs and bandages while kept asking how he felt. He remembered how worried she looked although the wound wasn't life threatening and somehow, the way she took care of him and the way she worry about him pleased him. After her long and irritating procedure, they sat outside on the porch. The moon was full and shining brightly upon them as they both sat in silence, both drawn into their own thoughts. "Are you feeling better?" he asked her and put his coat around her as he noticed that she was cold. She smiled as she pulled the cloth tight and said, "I am much better, Byakura sama. It has been a long time since I had this illness. I am used to it."

He looked at her, her bright dark blue eyes glowing against her white face. Her dark hair fell around her tiny face framing it in a way that make her pale skin much more radiant than it always does. How could she smile and say it is ok even though it was hurting her? He turned to the sky and said, "You look much paler than before I left." She chuckled as she touched her cheeks and said, "I am not. My skin has always been pale, that's normal for me. It is you, Byakura sama, that I am worry about." He was kinda surprised by her answer but kept his composure serene and asked, "Why?" She looked down at her hands which were gripping onto her clothes. "Because…Byakura sama is going to become the head of Kuchiki clan and even though I believe in your strength…I can't…I can't stop worrying about you." She turned to face him and said, "Byakura sama, should careful in battles. I believe you are powerful but you should be more careful. For your clan, for your division, for Kuchiki Taichou and for…me…"

Byakura remembered being a bit angry at her words for he thought she was trying to lecture him. He knew he was a bit hot headed and temperamental in the battles (which his grandfather too reminded him most of the time) and got injured most of the time but that was what fighting meant, at least to him. What did she know about fighting or leading a noble clan? But when he saw that she was really worried about him and on the verge of crying, his anger dissipated. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Hisana, I know my duties as a Kuchiki and I am completely aware of the dangers in battle. You don't need to worry about me." Hisana's face darkened at the end of his words and she turned away. "I…I see, Byakura sama. I am sorry for stepping out of line, Byakura sama." That particular line irritated him. Did he hurt her feelings again? He wasn't intending to; that wasn't even what he was saying. He was just…trying to reason with her. "It is getting late. You should rest. You might have another mission in the morning." Hisana said and got up.

He remembered thinking what it is with women. They got offended easily, they got mad easily and they didn't like man to reason with them. She handed him his coat and smiled as she bowed before him. "You will catch a cold if you say out like this." He took the coat but swiftly grabbed her hand as she drew away. "Byakura sama…"she exclaimed softly as Byakura held onto her hand and looked intently into her eyes. Her face flushed and even the paleness somehow shy away as the blood flowed up into her head. "Hisana…" "Hai…"she replied batting her lashes as she watched him with wide eyes. "I didn't mean to offend you. It is just…" Byakura shifted his eyes to the ground but Hisana covered her other hand over his and smiled. "I am not offended, Byakura sama. I know what you mean and I understand them. It is just I can do nothing to help you. The only thing I can do is worry about your well being." Her face shied away from his at the end of her words. Byakura drew her closer to him in her surprise and gently caresses her face. "You had done more than anyone for me. You being here is enough." Hisana stared at him with wide eyes as she had never heard him talk about his feelings or his thoughts out loud.

"What?" Byakura asked as she chuckled softly, he removed his hand but Hisana put her hand over it and said, "It is just… this is the first time, I hear you say such thing." Byakura felt a little awkward but she didn't give him a chance to falter back. "You always keep your feelings inside and never show them to others, Byakura sama. You always hold back your feelings, instead of facing them head on." "Feelings are childish thing." He said coldly but her smile never waned away. She continued to hold onto his hand and said, "Opening your feelings to others is not childish. Sealing them in is what children do. I understand you have to avoid feelings and emotions as a leader but I really don't want you to hide them from me, like I never hide from you." He remembered him saying nothing back but just stared at her face and somehow, he felt, no he realized that he had gotten attached to this girl in ways that he never thought he would to another person.

"That is the least I can do for you. I have no other ability to help you, Byakura sama, but just be there when you need me. So please don't take that away from me." She said softly as she let go of his hand on her face. Byakura remembered him wondering why his heart beat this loud every time he was around her. He held onto her hands as he watched her, smiling and blotting away the tears from her eyes with her cuffs. You truly were always there for me, Hisana even though I wasn't when you needed me. His forehead twitched and the brows drawn into a knot as the images of the day before her death floated across his mind. He was just returned from a mission when he saw the 4th division healers coming out of his manor. He remembered his inside turned cold at the sight and for once in his life; he couldn't find a rational answer for that. He held on his stern composure as the medical experts explained him that Hisana won't make it pass this night and that they are sorry for whatever it was that they said for he didn't hear anything after Hisana's condition. He didn't even let them finish their speech and headed quickly to his chamber.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter - 4

He found her, lying alone in the room, covered under white blankets and he felt his heart ached at that sight of her small face white with dark circles under the eyes. "Byakura sama?" she whispered as she opened her tired eyes into a narrow slit. He swallowed down the choking words and went over to her and sat beside her. "I am here, Hisana." She looked up at him and smiled so faintly and weakly. A tear leaked down her eyes as Byakura hold her hand and gently stoked her cheek. "I…I am glad…that I…can see you one more time…" she coughed, red specks of blood spluttered all over the blankets. He scooped her up and held her in his embrace as he wiped the blood from her lips with his trembling fingers. He had watched countless people died before his eyes, he had endured his grandfather's death, his father's death, his comrades' death but somehow this time, he couldn't seem to find a firm ground for his wobbly feet to stand on.

"I am…sorry, Byakura sama…To make you…worry…I…" He pressed her head closer to his chest and gently stoked her head. "Don't say anything, Hisana. And stop asking me not to worry about you. I have no one else but you to worry about. So just stop apologizing for it." He recognized his voice cracking as he rested his head against hers. "Will…you be ok…all alone…Byakura sama?" she asked holding onto his hakana. He knew what will ease her troubled mind, he knew what he should say but somehow he couldn't pronounce them. He couldn't say he'd be fine. He couldn't lie to her or himself. She looked up from his chest; tears staining her tired eyes and her thin hand reached up to his face and pressed it lightly. "You…will be…I know…you will…You are strong…But…I just…" Byakura couldn't listen to her words anymore. He took her hand from his face and quickly planted a kiss on her lips to stop her from talking further. She smiled weakly as he nudged his head against her forehead.

"I had never regretted anything in my life, Hisana but this time…I am not sure how I feel. I don't know what to feel." Her hand caressed his face and she whispered. "Don't think too much, Byakura sama. Just be with me tonight. Just you and me nothing more." He stared into her twinkling eyes and somehow his eyes stun as he watched her fading away slowly in his embrace. You said the five years with me was like a dream to you, Hisana but for me they were the only thing I ever had to reality. A very short period of reality in this realm of eternal dream. He watched as the sun glared through the thick foamy clouds which were endlessly and purposelessly floating in the infinitely vast canvas of sky.

Fifty five years had passed, Hisana. I kept my promise to look after your sister. And I am glad that I can say Rukia had grown up just like you, Hisana. Her kindness and her strong will. I could see you inside her, Hisana. Even though having Rukia in my life was a speck of light, a purpose for me to hold onto, I could never shut down my guard or let her come inside my defenses. I couldn't do that anymore. He looked down at his reflection in the water and saw his own broken face staring back at him. He had shut out not just to her but to everyone and everything for he realized what opening up the feelings to other really does to a person. He felt as though his heart was ripped out of his chest and crushed right before his eyes when Hisana died. He could never go through that kind of pain, that kind of situation ever again. You said you believe in my strength and wanted me to protect your sister with that strength.

But because of my duties, my promises to my grandfather and to my family, I almost failed you. If it wasn't for Kurosaki Ichigo, I will have failed you in every way possible. His words, not matter how disrespectful they may be, awakened a part of me, I had denied for a very long time since you been gone. I was so keen on keeping my promise to my parents that I forgot my promise to you. I almost hurt the sister you entrusted me. I am sorry for my stubbornness, Hisana. I am truly sorry. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply as the wind brushed through his hair dissolving his boiling emotions with its cool breezes. I will protect Rukia with my life, Hisana. Even though I have my duty to uphold my family name, I also have my duty to protect Rukia as a brother. All your life, you never demanded anything from me; I would be a shameless person if I couldn't keep that one request.

He looked around the courtyard; quietly taking in the still picture before him. From the green small bonsai trees and tall bamboo trees growing alongside the walls to the grand enormous manor which seated in the middle of the entire yard, everything stared at him with mocking disgrace. He bet in his 100 years of leadership, grandfather would never have a moment of weakness like the one he was having. As a captain and as 28th head of his family, I must be strong, I must stand tall for my clan, for Rukia and for…you Hisana. You trusted me, believed in me. I shouldn't be standing here feeling sorry for myself; I shouldn't be wallowing in the past like a fool. I must keep going forward and fulfill my duties and promises. He sharply breathed in and turned toward the main house hold. This spring madness, he had to find a way to get over it. He thought as he walked back to the house.

His first intention was to return to his chamber and continue his reading but he halted on the porch and looked back to the gate as he sensed a Reiatsu coming toward him. With a loud noise, the gate door flung opened and a red headed shinigami rushed into the courtyard. He frowned as he watched his vice-captain ran toward him. Always noisy and in a hurry, that one. He thought as he folded his arms and watched him. "Taichou…." He shouted as he stopped abruptly in front of him. "What is it?" he asked as he watched at Rangi wiping his forehead with his sleeves. "Commander Yamamoto had summoned all the captains and vice-captains for an emergency meeting." He frowned at his words. Did something happen again? If he was calling all the captains then it must be related to Aizen Sosuke. "I got it. Let us go then." He said calmly and headed back to the gate. "Aw, Hai. Taichou." Rangi said as his captain walked ahead him and followed him quickly. Both the captain and vice-captain of 6th division shunpoed away, heading toward the head quarters of 1st division. Their hakana flowed behind them gracefully as they disappeared from the view.

The sounds of wind chimes filled the warm air and enveloped the entire mansion of Kuchiki family with its sweet melodies. The touch of sun light on the surface of crystal clear lake reflected the colorful rays, giving the entire place a dreamy shape with all the green bonsai trees and rustling bamboo trees dancing along with the wind. The mansion stood strong and in silence, embraced within the spring's spirits. Even though its giant walls and sturdy pillars had kept out the intruders, it couldn't protect against the strikes of grief and loneliness that spring had brought. Despite its gentleness and beauty, the spirits of the spring struck the souls of wounded ones, bringing forth their darkest pain, darkest memories attempting to take over their spirits with its madness.

Will these unfortunate souls be able to defend themselves against this madness or will they just forfeit before its attacks? Who knows? After all, this is just spring madness. Purely simple yet painful Spring Madness.


End file.
